


i will speak to thee

by RoyalHeather



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Ep. 68 spoilers, F/M, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-18 09:19:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8157115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoyalHeather/pseuds/RoyalHeather
Summary: Everyone has ideas for how to resurrect Percy. Most of them involve Pike. None of them take into consideration what Percy himself might want, or whether he wants to come back at all.





	

Everyone has an idea for how Percy should be resurrected, or two. Most of them involve Pike. She watches the rest of Vox Machina (and Allura, and Gilmore, and Cassandra, and Keeper Yennen) argue, voices echoing in the ziggurat chamber, hand gestures steadily getting sharper and more erratic. Her head aches, and she rubs a temple as Allura and Gilmore snap at each other about the risks of two different spells.

“Hey, uh, guys?” Pike interjects, when the noise reaches a lull. “Has anyone thought about what Percy would want?”

Everyone looks at her. “We can’t exactly ask him, can we?” says Cassandra, razor-edged.

Pike is as stressed and sad as the rest of them, but she takes extra effort to keep her voice gentle. “Actually, I can.”

The chamber falls silent. The faces that stand out to her the most are Cassandra and Vex, both with wide dark eyes in pale white faces. “Of course he wants to come back,” rumbles Grog. “Why wouldn’t he?” 

“Don’t assume,” says Vax, quiet and haggard. “Pike, ask him.” 

She doesn’t need approval from anyone else; she didn’t even need it from Vax, really. Getting to her feet, Pike heads up the stairs, out of the basements, and up to the second floor where Percy lays in his bedroom, cold and still. 

It hits her the instant she walks through the door, how _dead_  he looks - stiff and white with purple tinging the corners of his mouth and under his eyes, he doesn’t look right, he doesn’t look _real_ , that’s not her Percy - 

Steeling herself, clamping back tears, Pike walks over to the bedside and takes off her gloves. She closes her eyes, lays a hand on his forehead. Sarenrae, never far away these days, sighs softly on her, and Pike feels the breath roll down her arm, over her hand, settle on Percy like a benediction. She opens her eyes.

Percy’s eyes are open, too, and he’s looking at her. “Pike...?”

Not trusting herself to speak, she nods.

His eyes travel over her, taking in mussed hair, tear-filled eyes, and then over his surroundings. “I’m dead, aren’t I.”

“Yes.” 

“Ripley?”

Pike’s hand on his forehead twitches; her only regret, second to not saving Percy, is not being there to finish Ripley off. “Dead.”

“Good.” Percy sighs the word, and maybe Pike’s imagining it but his shoulders relax, tension draining out of his body. “Very good.”

“Percy...” Her voice shakes, she can’t help it - “We could - we could resurrect you, if you want.” He doesn’t say anything, just looks at her from behind his smudged glasses. “Would you want that?”

“I... I don’t know,” he says, throaty. “There are guns out there now...” He sighs again. “But I’m just so tired.” 

Her hand on his head moves to comb through his hair, and with the other she takes his hand, bringing it up to his chest. “We’ll take care of it, Percy. I promise.”

The look he gives her is so grateful it makes her heart ache. “It’s just... I’m so tired.” 

 “I know,” says Pike, tears stinging her eyes. “It’s all right. You can rest now.” 

Percy looks profoundly grateful, another sigh bleeding through him, and he closes his eyes. Sudden terror spikes in Pike, this can’t be it, this can’t be the last - “Percy?”

He opens his eyes, looks at her. “Yes?”

She can’t hold back the tears at this point, not with her heart torn in two. “I love you.” 

Percy’s eyes are on hers, wide and blue, stark in a face so white it’s almost gray. For a moment his lips part, Pike can almost see words hanging on them... and then the breath granted by Sarenrae leaves him, head rolling back to its original position, eyelids drifting shut. His hand that she still holds is cold and stiff in hers. 

Pike can’t help it; she whimpers a little, and then, with no one else there to see her, she drops to her knees, head pushing against the side of the bed, and sobs. 

Later, much later, she rejoins the group (not caring that her eyes are red and puffy) and lets them know of Percy’s choice. They accept the news in the stunned silence she expected they would. But Pike doesn’t wait for them to react further or say anything in return. She turns and leaves.


End file.
